SpaceX launched an additional 23 Starlink internet satellites from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday evening.
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today. SpaceX had been targeting Tuesday but called that try off due to weather concerns, News.Az reports, citing Space.com.The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, landing on the SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the 18th launch and landing for this particular booster, and its 13th Starlink mission overall, according to a SpaceX mission description.
#Falcon 9 delivers 23 #Starlink satellites to orbit from #Florida pic.twitter.com/xJyvtjRVuK
— News.Az (@news_az) October 24, 2024
The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued hauling the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). It will deploy them there about 65 minutes after liftoff, if all goes to plan.
SpaceX currently operates more than 6,400 Starlink satellites in LEO, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
On October 19, a Falcon 9 rocket topped with 20 Starlink craft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
